The Miami Dolphins fired Coach Joe Philbin on Monday after the team’s 1-3 start in a season that was billed as a turnaround year for the franchise. He is the second N.F.L. coach in two years to be fired immediately after losing a game in London.

The Dolphins spent heavily in the off-season after two 8-8 seasons in which the team faded from playoff contention later in the year. The Dolphins signed defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, who was considered the most talented free agent available; gave quarterback Ryan Tannehill a long-term contract; and resigned center Mike Pouncey.

The team owner Steve Ross also brought in Mike Tannenbaum as executive vice president of football operations and spent more than $400 million to upgrade the team’s stadium.

The Dolphins responded by winning their season-opening game against Washington, then losing to the Jaguars in Jacksonville, before being embarrassed in consecutive weeks by the Buffalo Bills and the Jets, both division rivals. The Jets beat the Dolphins, 27-14, in London on Sunday.

Coincidentally, the Oakland Raiders fired Coach Dennis Allen last year after his team lost to the Dolphins in London, also in the fourth week of the season. The Raiders were 0-4 at that point.

Philbin was 24-28 as a coach in Miami and never led his team to the playoffs. His team was also rocked by a scandal in 2013 in which several players were accused of bullying offensive lineman Jonathan Martin.

Before the season, Philbin was fully supported by Tannenbaum. “Joe has 30-plus years of experience at all levels of football,” Tannenbaum said in training camp. “His decisions aren’t whimsical, they’re thoughtful and taken from a lot of different constituents.”

But the tough losses to drop the Dolphins into last place were apparently too much for Ross, who made his decision soon after the loss on Sunday.

“This was a tough decision for me to make knowing how tirelessly Joe worked in his four years here to make this a winning team,” Ross said in a statement. “I am extremely disappointed with how we have started the season, but I feel confident that we can improve quickly with the talent we have on our roster.”

Dan Campbell, the team’s tight ends coach for the past five years, will take over as interim head coach. Before joining the Dolphins in 2010, Campbell played 11 seasons as a tight end with the Giants, Cowboys, Lions and Saints. He was drafted in the third round by the Giants in 1999 and caught 91 passes and 11 touchdowns in 114 games.

Campbell, 39, told reporters on Monday that he was not looking to just finish the season. Ross said he would be a candidate for the permanent job.

“It was a little surreal,” Campbell said about his new job. “It’s a little bit of, ‘Whoa, what are you getting into?’ But I’m ready for this. I can do this.”

Correction:Oct. 5, 2015

An earlier version of this article misstated the job title of Mike Tannenbaum. He is the Dolphins’ executive vice president of football operations, not their general manager.